Oscar Pistorius asked a friend to take the blame after a pistol was accidentally fired in a Johannesburg restaurant, a court heard today.

Giving evidence in the athlete's murder trial, Kevin Lerena said he was in a Johannesburg restaurant in January last year when the incident took place, just weeks before Pistorius shot dead his girlfriend.

He said that another member of their party, Darren Fresco, passed his gun to Pistorius under the table and told him there was a bullet in it.

A shot was then discharged, which grazed Mr Lerena's foot.

Mr Lerena, who said he was in shock and bleeding slightly from his toe, told the Pretoria court: "There was just complete silence."

He said Pistorius then apologised, saying: "Are you OK? Is everybody OK?"

He also told the court that before management approached the table, Pistorius asked Mr Fresco to take responsibility for the shot.

Mr Lerena said the Olympic sprinter said: "Just say it was you. I don't want any tension around me," before adding "There's too much media hype around me."

Oscar Pistorius shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, 29, three times through the toilet door of his Pretoria home a month later.

Kevin Lerena gave evidence to the court today [SPLASH]

He claims that he killed her after mistaking her for an intruder.

However, the prosecution are arguing that he murdered her after an argument.

Neighbours of Pistorius have told the court they heard a series of screams from a woman before and after the gunshots.

However, Pistorius' legal team argued today that the screams after the gunshots were actually Pistorius shouting in a state of agitation after accidentally shooting his girlfriend.

Defence lawyer Barry Roux also said that the injury that Steenkamp, 29, sustained to her head would have resulted in brain damage and "no cognitive function", meaning she would not have been able to scream after the last bullet struck.

Mr Roux said that an expert would later testify in the trial that "with the head shot, she would have dropped down immediately."